Motor racing in film

I have just been rather suprised to find that some of my friends in BRL, have not seen Le Mans. Indeed many of them have not seen any motor racing films at all.

Le Mans - with Steve McQueen. A sensation.
Grand Prix - James Garner racing on the old Monza banking.
The new film Rush
Senna

Then there are some films which have a great car chase,
Bullitt
Vanishing Point - great bit with Bonnie & Delaney Bramlett
Ronin
French Connection
To Live & Die in LA
The Italian Job - the original
Mad Max? sort of
Bond films?

Then there are some more obscure ones:
Two-Lane Blacktop
For Britain & the hell of it
Rendezvous
In car 956. Not a film as such...Derek Bell taking you round the Nordschleife & the old Silverstone
Motor Films Quarterly....
9 Days In Summer

Some Bike racing:
Fast
Faster
Fastest
Love speed & loss


Have you seen any you like?

Do you have a favourite?

Would you recomend one?

Is there one which you thought was awful?

Grand Prix is my favourite. The Senna documentairy is a great inspiration, even for my own job in advertising.

The worst is the 2003 attempt on Michel Vaillant. I remember going into that movie with good hopes, only to be annoyed for 100 minutes on its realism. I think the same applies on Driven. The only racing movie I'm alright with lack of realism is Disney's Cars, really.

If we're talking best car chases, I'll say the Blues Brothers movie :P

Off-topic slightly but I like the 1969 comedy film - Monte Carlo or Bust.  Well it is about racing - sort of   :D

Those magnificant men in their flying machines?

LOL - well I can trumph that with - Herbie - LOL

Now this is just getting silly, you started quite a serious thread and good question too!

Herbie is great!

This ones more about 2 wheels:
On Any Sunday - Steve McQueen docu-film :)

How could I forget On Any Sunday. Of course, superb.

The Great Race,  1965  Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood.  Played for laughs but actually based on a real event.

Does the Gumball rally count? & what about Smokey & the Bandit?

I will have to check that one out Jay

The Cannonball Run should be in that list too! :D

Le Mans: not a great story, but a great year for sportscars (Porsche 917k) & coverage of Le Mans 1970.
Grand Prix: stunning camera angels! (from Nasa I believe...)
Rush: haven't seen that movie yet, but I will!
Senna: great documentary, not really a film imho...
Bullitt: most famous car chase ever perhaps? I'm a big fan of Steve McQueen movies, but his Mustang seems to have an enormous amount of gears, when driving in a straight line the car keeps on changing gear like it has 100 gears! :D And the tires scream when the cars are doing a turn on sand! :D
Michel Vaillant: they copied some elements from Steve McQueens' Le Mans and mixed everything up (some scenes are on Magny Cours instead of Le Mans), not a good movie.

I have forgotten Winning 1969, with Paul Newman. He met his wife on this film too. Joanne Woodward. Some great Can Am cars on view

And I think the worst racing film ever is Disney/Pixar - 'Cars'
I gave up after the first 10 minutes

The Dukes of Hazzard? Knight rider?

Duel?

LOL - They are so bad I didn't even bother to watch themn :D :D

Just come across 'Dick Smart 2.007'

It's from 1967 & shows Dick roaring around in some Formula 3 stuff, with liberal use of Vespas & atomic bombs. There's even a Vespa that turns into an auto-gyro with a rocket launcher at the front. What more could you want.

(Other brands of scooters, step-throughs, & mopeds are available).

From bike racing there is the TT3D: Closer to the Edge.
Great documentary about the Isle of Man TT!

oh, and you forgot
Superspeedway, the one of the Andretti's and Newman-Hass. Some very cool onboard cameras in there.

Have you seen "Days of Thunder" with Tom Cruise?

I think it's very nice.

This is a review of the 1955 Grand Prix of Spa.

My favourite part is early on when the clipped English tone remarks that,

'There is a ditch to catch a mis-judged exit'.

This completely ignores the trees, telegraph poles, barbed wire fence.......etc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAiKovUL8FM&noredirect=1